Own Yard and Full Time Job - how do you cope?

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winchester

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anyone on here have their own yard (only for private use) and a full time job? How do you cope (especially in Winter)? Do you have anyone to help? Do you pay people to much out/bring in etc?? How long are you down there before/after work etc? Whats your typical day?
 
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anyone on here have their own yard (only for private use) and a full time job? How do you cope (especially in Winter)? Do you have anyone to help? Do you pay people to much out/bring in etc?? How long are you down there before/after work etc? Whats your typical day?

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before i had liveries i let my best friend move to the yard have her horse there for free and she did mine (she had 2 kids so was perfect)

now she works for me so she runs the yard while i work in london nand i do weekends - i guess you can only do this with someone you completely trust ! !
 
I managed on my own last year but this year I have a livery ( girl who bought ponio off me ) so we are going to share the chores as much as possible.
 
I'm struggling i must admit. Own yard, 3 horses, stables to finish building and a 13 yr old and a 2 year old and OH works away...........feel i'm a bit snowed under at times, and i don't look my best very often!!
 
I own my own yard - with 4 horses of my own and 12 liveries. most are on DIY but a couple are on part livery. So I feed and turn everything out in the morning before I go to work. Then a good friend of mine comes in about 3 pm and she mucks out everything that needs mucking out and puts in haylage and then brings in my 4 plus my part liveries. I then ride in the evening when I get back and feed my own and parts. The income from the part liveries pays my friends wages, and her work means I am free to ride my horses at night rather than simply muck out and lug nets. I trust her totally and she moves in to my house and looks after everything when we go away on holiday.
 
I have my own yard, work full time (also looking for weekend work as skint) and help mom and dad, but i manage. I have 3 horses, 2 cats, 2 tortoises, a very energetic dog, chickens and ducks (and i'm also looking after 5 cows at the mo for someone). Its all about organising your time and jobs efficiently though I am lucky enough to live on site so that saves on time travelling. I dont have late nights (go to sleep around 10-10.30pm), get up at a pretty early time, normally between 5.30 and 6am. Dont get me wrong i'm not saying it isnt hard work (which it is) i dont go out very often, and have to make certain sacrifices but i wouldnt have it any other way. After having my own place i couldnt go back to livery.
 
I've got my own place, luckily in the back garden and work full time.

I start work at 7.30 AM 30 miles away, so I just tend to turn out in the morning and go to work. In the evening it takes me about 30mins to do the stables and then if I want to ride, that on top. Because I start so early I am home by 5 and then normally get don, including riding by 7pm, so can spend the evening with OH.

I'm luckly that its just me, so if I don't have time to sweep the yard, or if the weather is good and I'm pushed I can just choose to leave them out 24/7 for a few days (they are out 24/7 in the summer anyway). Oh, and rubber mats are a god send!

I acutally find it easier than when I was at livery, as I don't have to conform to anyone elses times, also becuase its at the end of the garden I can pop in and oiut of the yard as time and other chores allows.

The hardest bit is fitting in the field maintenance, and things like creosoting the stables etc.
 
I've got 7 at the mo and work in London Full Time. Only 2 are ridden but the others are mares, 2 yearlings and a 4 month old foal. Im there 6am every morning on the train by 8am in to London then home by 6 and at the yard till about 9 in the evening! Really struggled last year in the Winter with it always being dark - but just dont know if i could trust someone doing them especially as one is a stallion! I guess if you have someone who you trust to help its alot easier!!
 
Own yard at home - 2 horses at mo (soon to be 4) just me and OH to do it

On yard (in back garden) by 5:45am, horses fed/chickens out (in for a coffee)/turned out/mucked out/waters done/nets filled/beds swept back to dry.

In house, coffee/fag, shower, change leave for work at 7:00am - work 8-5:30 - home by 6:30

Changed, beds down/horses in/groom/ride/cool off/rug/feed - in house by 9

Tea/wine/beer etc

10:15ish skip out/top up water/feed/lock chickens up

BED!

We both work full time and I do 24hr on call every other week for 7 day stretches
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Edit to add - NO WAY would I go back to livery if you paid me
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i do & its fine , i work about 10 hrs a day as an accountant , i do all chores myself at the yard , as long as you are well organised its fine , just struggle a bit in terms of finding time to do yard maintanance but OH helps
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i can do 3 horses in 40 mins in a morning & then about the same on a night , yard is next to house so that helps

do horses 7am & then about 7.30pm when i return from work

only paid help i have is horse sitter lady for when i am away & occassionally OH will do horses on an eve if i'm not going to be back from work til at least 9pm
 
I used to. When the stables were built i made sure i had plenty of time / labour saving devices eg rubber matting. I planned all the gateways so that it was really quick and easy to turn out and bring in. The yard was compact and worked very well. Horses knew their routine too, so it was easy. The only thing was, i found i spent longer on the yard even though it was in the back garden. And i would keep popping out, even just before bed. I had 6 at one time and a full time job.
 
I have a job with long hours and six horses. Luckily if I am running late my dad will help and I have only one that needs ridden. Dad feeds them in the morning if they are in and throws any that are in out into the field. I would be completely lost without him.
 
Field Shelters - No 1 priority so they can be left out if necessary. Also have had someone helping once a week for a few hours - they muck out on that day and do the routine things like clean tack , wash out water buckets, fill the laynets for the week and wash if competing.

I pay £10/hour and the £30 makes all the different to the horses being more of a pleasure than a burden.
 
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